That was the main theme of Sex and the City and the reason millions of women tuned in week after week to watch it.

It wasn’t the countless men that passed through the characters’ lives or the gorgeous outfits the fab four got to wear as they strolled through the vibrant streets of New York – although, to be fair, these things played a big part in the show’s appeal.

No, it was the unbreakable love between Carrie Bradshaw and her three soul sisters – lawyer Miranda Hobbs, art dealer Charlotte York and PR executive Samantha Jones – that was the beating heart of the beloved programme.

Pic: Rex

And in one Instagram post, that perfect ideal of female love, support and friendship that we all adored was shattered beyond repair.

Of course, there were rumours of in-fighting between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker for years but nothing was ever really confirmed in public.

These reports were expertly handled with loved-up red carpet appearances and carefully scripted replies about how they all had the utmost respect for each other.

However, the depth of animosity between SJP and Kim Cattrall was finally revealed following the death of Kim’s brother last week.

The actress received thousands of messages of condolences from friends, fans and followers.

Two days after the news broke, she posted a message to Instagram with the caption #SexandtheCity that read: ‘I would like to thank my fans, friends and my #SexandtheCity colleagues for the outpouring of support myself and family over the past 72 hours.’

But three days later, Cattrall uploaded a brutal post that would put the final nail in the coffin of her relationship with SJP and the SATC franchise.

She was responding to SJP’s message of condolence on her Instagram post that read: ‘Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx’

Kim’s picture showed the words: ‘I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker’ and the caption contained a shocking rant against Parker’s ‘cruel’ treatment of her through the years.

The article outlines the shoddy treatment Cattrall apparently suffered during the filming of the show as SJP, Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte) formed a clique and left her out in the cold.

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It also hinted at SJP’s alleged jealousy of Cattrall’s natural comedic talent that ultimately made her the star of the show, despite Sarah being the show’s heroine.

When Kim refused to do the third SATC film, she was labelled a diva and reports surfaced that she was simply holding out for more money.

Taking the matter into her own hands, Kim went on Piers Morgan: Life Stories and stated that this was not the case. She simply wanted to put an end to her involvement in the whole series.

Fair enough.

Pic: Getty

But sadly, this recent outburst has done the famous blonde no favours whatsoever.

Whatever her motivation, SJP was simply stating her sadness over the tragic circumstances of Kim’s brother’s death.

While some might see this as hypocritical – especially to do it on a public platform – I think it might just have been an act of human decency.

After all, whatever the relationship, you wouldn’t wish what Kim’s family went through on your worst enemy.

Pic: REX

Maybe SJP just wanted to show that, despite whatever had happened between them, she was actually sorry for her loss.

But Kim was having none of it. Perhaps it was grief, perhaps it was frustration or perhaps it was simply the last straw.

She lashed out and unfortunately, in doing so, has left Sex and the City fans heartbroken and made a sham of the series that struck a chord with millions of women around the world.

Well, I suppose it’s not a sham – after all, they were actresses playing roles in a TV show.

Pic: Rex

But, because there are so many tight-knit casts where the actors get on so well together off-screen – Friends, Will & Grace and The Big Bang Theory – I can’t help but hope that all my favourite shows have similarly fun, happy sets.

Alas, in real life, not everything can be summed up in a dreamy statement to the universe or in a perfect pun that ties all loose ends neatly together.

Instead, I’ll just have to be thankful for the six series of brilliant TV and one great film that came from the franchise. (Let’s not talk about SATC 2).

And maybe I’ll also be grateful for the reminder that sometimes people are just great actors, and the friendships forged on screen are nothing more than fiction.